September 22, 2014 - MedFitNetwork

Sugar Coating Helps Determine Cancer Cell Survival

Today's Dietitian/22 September 2014/ All MFN blog/

Every living cell’s surface has a protein-embedded membrane that’s covered in polysaccharide chains—a literal sugar coating. A new study found this coating is especially thick and pronounced on cancer cells and is a crucial determinant of the cell’s survival. Consisting of long, sugar-decorated molecules called glycoproteins, the coating causes physicalchanges in the cell membrane that make the cell better able to thrive, leading to a more lethal cancer.

Chinese Herbal Extract May Help Kill Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Today's Dietitian/22 September 2014/ All MFN blog, Conditions/

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer—the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the United States—can be devastating. Due in part to aggressive cell replication and tumor growth, pancreatic cancer progresses quickly and has a low five-year survival rate (less than 5%).

Post-Stroke Rehabilitation with Physical Therapy

Dr. Gail Wetzler/22 September 2014/ Conditions/

In the United States more than 700,000 people suffer a stroke each year. Approximately 2/3 of these individuals survive the cerebral vascular accident and require rehabilitation (relearn skills that are lost when part of the brain is damaged). The goals of rehabilitation are to help survivors become as independent as possible and to attain the best possible quality of life.

Physical therapists specialize in treating disabilities related to motor and sensory Instructor And Elderly Patient Undergoing Water Therapy impairments. They are trained in all aspects of anatomy and physiology related to normal function, with an emphasis on movement. They assess the patient’s strength, endurance, range of motion, gait abnormalities and sensory deficits to design individualized rehabilitation programs aimed at regaining control over motor functions.

Functions compromised when a specific region of the brain is damaged by stroke can sometimes be taken over by other parts of the brain. This ability to adapt and change is known as neuroplasticity. Physical therapists help the patient regain the use of stroke-impaired limbs, teach compensatory strategies to reduce the effect of remaining deficits and establish ongoing exercise programs to help people retain their newly learned skills. The repetitive use of impaired limbs encourages brain plasticity!

In general, physical therapy emphasizes practicing isolated movements, repeatedly changing from one kind of movement to another and rehearsing complex movements that require a great deal of coordination and balance. Balance retraining may consist of walking up or down stairs or moving safely between obstacles. People too weak to bear their own weight can still practice repetitive movements during hydrotherapy (water providing a sensory stimulation and allowing for weight support) or while being partially supported by a harness. A recent trend in physical therapy emphasizes the effectiveness of engaging in goal-directed activities, such as playing games, to promote coordination, balance and movement strategies.

If you or your loved one has had a stroke, be sure to be evaluated by a physical therapist as they can substantially help people achieve the best possible long-term outcome.

Caring for Parkinson’s Disease with Physical Therapy

Dr. Gail Wetzler/22 September 2014/ Conditions/

Recent research findings have shown that a minority of clients with Parkinson’s do fine without any form of rehabilitation. However, the majority of studies have shown that clients improved in their ability to do daily living activities in response to physical therapy rehabilitation. 62% of research participants who received physical therapy intervention had a successful outcome relative to 38% of the participants in the control group who had a successful outcome. (Murphy & Tickle-Degnen, 2011). In another research project, Tests Predict Falls in Parkinson’sPatients, published in the June 23, 2010 issue of Neurology, looked at 101 Parkinson’s patients who were able to walk without aids. They tested for symptoms such as visual function, balance, gait, strength, reaction time and proprioception. Those who did poorly on the balance tests, mobility tests and coordinating multi-joint movements were more prone to falls (42%).

Physiotherapist With Patient In Rehabilitation People with minor motor system disorders to severe disorders will find that physical therapy can help with the rigidity, slow movement patterns, postural instability, impaired balance and coordination that seem to evolve along with this disease. The physical therapist will evaluate for Functional Gait Testing, Functional Reach Testing, Timed Get Up and Go Test, Bed mobility screening and orthopedic evaluations for mobility and strength.

After the evaluation, the physical therapist may set up a specific exercise or movement lesson that uses high amplitude movements that overcome bradykinesia and hypokinesia (activating excessively slow motion).

My personal experience with Parkinson’s patients is one of inquiry, fun and resolution. We even use dance as a means of increasing balance and coordination. When it is a mobility problem like getting out of bed, the physical therapist will create a home program with specific exercises for your needs. When it is a postural instability issue, we will work with balance/gait on different surfaces as well as strengthening for your back, legs, abdomen and torso.

Let the field of physical therapy evaluate and assess what we can do for you!

Caring for Multiple Sclerosis with Physical Therapy

Dr. Gail Wetzler/22 September 2014/ Conditions/

Multiple sclerosis had been known as being the most common inflammatory demyelinating disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS). It will be good to know that there is a team of practitioners that have experience with helping you with some of its risk factors. Clinically, MS is characterized by multiple and varying signs and symptoms and be unpredictable and fluctuating periods of remissions and exacerbations. The symptoms consisting of sensory losses with visual, temperature sensitivities and paresthesias will require specific medical attention. The symptoms consisting of motor dysfunction such as weakness in the extremities, difficulty with gait, coordination or balance can be helped by the education and skills of a physical therapist.

Physiotherapist With Patient In Rehabilitation A physical therapy evaluation and treatment strategy will assist in specific exercises for the weakness that develops by using functional manual skills that stimulate the central nervous system at the time of the movement pattern. They will work with gait training to evaluate for any equipment you may need for comfort and safety. They have been trained in detailed vestibular rehabilitation for balance and coordination issues that may come up during those fluctuating periods of exacerbation.

Difficulties with speech or chewing and swallowing can occur if the cranial nerves are affected. The physical therapist has been trained in helping to free nerve pathways with fascial release techniques. Any urinary frequency, urinary urgency, incontinence, retention or hesitancy can be particularly trained by a therapist who specializes in visceral manipulation (working with the organs fascia) or pelvic floor techniques for muscle retraining.

For the client with MS, treatment should take place in the coolest temperature setting possible. Physical therapy is initiated at an early stage to maintain joint range of motion within your pain tolerance and to monitor muscle strength until active exercises can be initiated. It is very important to provide you with active exercises that are at a level consistent with your muscle strength. The physical therapist can help you with all the precautions and functional movement patterns you need to know for your progression back to better health.

To Eat—or Not to Eat: The Pre-Exercise Question

Nancy Clark, RD/22 September 2014/ All MFN blog/

What should I eat before I exercise?

That’s the question athletes of all ages and abilities most commonly ask when I’m presenting a sports nutrition workshop. While most people expect a simple response, such as “Eat a banana” or “Have a slice of toast,” the answer is actually complex and depends on many factors. After all, we are each an experiment of one.

The following information can help you figure out the best way to fuel your body before you exercise.

Does what you eat within 30 minutes of exercise offer performance benefits?

Your body can actually digest and use the food you eat before you exercise as long as you are exercising at a pace you can maintain for more than 30 minutes. Research also suggests that eating a snack just five minutes before moderate exercise can improve performance compared to exercising on empty. Yet, if you will be doing intense exercise—an erg test, track workout, or heavy weight lifting session, you should experiment to determine the best time to eat. You will likely feel more comfortable allowing two or three hours for your pre-exercise food to digest and empty from the stomach.

Will pre-exercise food cause heartburn or nausea?

While many people can comfortably tolerate pre-exercise food, others experience stomach distress. If the food you eat within the hour pre-exercise “talks back to you,” figure out:

Does the discomfort happen if you allow two or more hours for the pre-exercise food to be digested?
Does the type of food cause the problem? That is, do a few pretzels settle well but a cup of yogurt feels acidic?
Did you eat too much? Would half a bagel with a skimming of peanut butter digest better than the whole bagel?
Are you doing very high intensity work? If so, your stomach will shut down and your body will want to get rid of the contents….

What if I exercise in the early morning, before my stomach is awake?

If you drag yourself out of bed to exercise at early o’thirty, before your body and your mind are fully awake, you might not want to eat much of anything. I know of chocolate-breakfast many rowers, runners, swimmers, and ice hockey players who eat their breakfast the night before. That is, instead of eating a bowl of cereal at 5:30 a.m., they enjoy it at 10:00 pm, before going to bed. This food helps them wake up in the morning with a normal blood glucose (blood sugar) level, and provides energy for an enjoyable and effective workout.

What if pre-exercise food contributes to diarrhea and undesired pit stops?

Food generally takes one or two days to travel through the intestinal tract. Hence, an undesired pit-stop during a long run on Sunday might relate to food that you ate the day or two before. That is, if you ate an unusually large bowl of high-fiber bran cereal on Saturday when carbo-loading for the Sunday long run, you might end up wishing you’d carbo-loaded on low-fiber corn flakes or Rice Chex. Or maybe that bean burrito on Friday night caused the problem? You can try tracking your food and fiber intake, looking for suspicious patterns.

In general, exercise speeds up intestinal motility. With time, most bodies can adjust if you train your intestines to handle pre-exercise food. For example, one runner started by nibbling on one pre-exercise pretzel, and then two, and gradually built up his tolerance to the suggested 100 to 300 calories of carbs consumed within the hour pre-exercise. He enjoyed the benefits of feeling stronger at the end of his runs.

Should I purposefully not eat before I exercise because I want to lose weight while I exercise?

towel, dumbbells, apples and water bottle isolated on white One client reported she didn’t eat before she went to the gym because she was exercising to burn calories. Why would she want to add calories to her diet? Wouldn’t that defeat the main purpose of her workouts?

Think again: If you consume 100 to 300 calories before you workout, you will be able to exercise harder, at higher intensity and burn more calories than if you schlep through the session on fumes, with little enthusiasm or enjoyment. (Plus, you will not be as hungry afterwards and will be able to refrain from over-indulging.) Trust me, the plan to exercise-on-empty is hard to sustain; it is not fun. Just notice the drop-off in attendance at the gym between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1…

Food is fuel. As an athlete or a fitness exerciser, you need to fuel your body appropriately—including pre-exercise. Just as you put gas in your car before you take it for a drive, you want to put fuel in your body before you embark on a busy day. Be as nice to your body as you are to your car, please!

By eating nothing before my morning workout, won’t I burn more fat?

You may have heard you can burn more fat during low-level “fat burning exercise” if you do not eat beforehand. Yes, you might burn more fat than carbohydrates, but burning fat differs from losing body fat. You lose body fat when, at the end of your day, you have created a calorie deficit. That is, you will lose body fat (weight) if you have eaten only 1,800 calories by bedtime, even though you burned off 2,200 calories during the day. By fueling pre-exercise, you can have a better workout—and perhaps burn more calories than if you were to run on fumes.

To lose body fat, I suggest you fuel adequately by day, so you will have energy to enjoy an active lifestyle, and then lose weight at night by eating a lighter dinner. Fueling by day and dieting by night (so you lose weight when you are sleeping), is far preferable to restricting by day only to over-indulge at night due to extreme hunger.

Can training on empty enhance endurance?

Some recent research suggests that highly competitive athletes might be able to enhance their performance if they train under-fueled a few times a week. These depletion workouts can alter muscle metabolism so that the muscles are able to compete better when fully fueled.

If you want to “train low,” be sure to do your important high intensity workouts when you are well fueled. You cannot (enjoyably) exercise hard when you are running on fumes. Your performance will suffer unless you do some high quality hard workouts when you are well fueled.

Boston-area sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD offers one-on-one consults with both casual and competitive athletes. Her private practice is in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). For information about her Sports Nutrition Guidebook (2014) and food guides for runners, cyclists and soccer players, see www.nancyclarkrd.com. For online education, see www.NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com